Nightmare
by UglyTurnip
Summary: Sayori dreams of her own suicide. It indirectly saves her life.


_The noose was around her neck. The chair was beneath her feet. All of her suffering, all of her pain, it was all about to be over. Did she have any regrets? Lots. Part of her was still begging her to stop, but it wasn't as loud as the rainclouds brewing in her head. She swallowed, muttering a prayer that her family and friends could forgive her being such a burden. At least she wouldn't be a burden to anyone any longer.  
_

 _She jumped, ready to end everything.  
_

 _She had expected a snap, and then darkness. An excruciating pain in her neck was all she was greeted with. Something went wrong. Her neck hadn't broken. Instead, it burned intensely as her feet dangled helplessly. She was choking! Sayori struggled, gasping for breath, the rope constricting her as she clawed desperately for release. Her lungs burned, her tongue waggled about desperately, but there was nothing she could do._

 _In that brief period of suffering, her thoughts turned to the literature club. They turned to MC. She had to fight! For him! She had to get this accursed rope off her own neck. She tugged, pulled, and fought with all her might. She kicked, struggled, used her body weight to pull herself down in an attempt to breathe once more._

 _It wasn't enough._

 _She was going to die._

 _Why? Why had she done this? If only she could take it all back, she would. Even her last actions on this world had been selfish. What kind of monster was she to subject her loved ones to such a sight?  
_

 _Her vision began to fade, she reached out one last time, and then it was all over._

* * *

Sayori sat up in her bed frantically, glancing about the room. Her breathing was heavy, labored, frightened. Glancing down at herself, she noticed that she was still dressed in her pajamas. Morning sunshine streamed into her room. She flexed her fingers. She consciously drew a breath.

She was still alive.

It was all just a bad dream.

 _There you go,_ murmured those vile thoughts in her head. _When are you going to stop dreaming about death and actually go through with it? You know you're just a burden to everyone around you.  
_

Sayori was alive, and that meant that she still felt the pain, still felt the intense worthlessness, still had doubts about her own value. Her gaze subconsciously flickered over to the drawer where the rope lied. How many weeks had she had it? She couldn't recall.

Part of her just wanted to end it all right here and right now. Living was still very painful, and Sayori doubted that she could ever find a light at the end of this very long tunnel. Besides, she had paid MC back for all the kindness he had provided her as a child. He had new friendships, he had a true hobby now. It was all thanks to her. Surely, she wouldn't be missed.

So, with what little willpower she had, she rose from her bed and headed toward the drawer. Opening it, she took the rope in her hands. It was coarse, rough.

It felt just like it had in that dream.

She dropped it almost immediately, like some instinctive self-preservation still lingered inside of her.

Her mind flashed to her body dangling again. Even if it was only a dream, it felt so _real_.

She couldn't do that to her MC, not when he had just confessed his feelings. Even if it was only to make her feel better, it was a sign that he might still genuinely care.

A thought entered her head. She would postpone her suicide until tonight, but she would not come to the festival today. MC would come visit her if he cared, and should he come, maybe he would bring a reason to keep fighting with him.

And if he didn't visit her, then she could leave this world tonight guilt-free.

In the meantime, she would sleep. Leaving the rope where it was, she climbed back into bed, wrapped herself in her blanket, and tried her best to slumber.

Sayori did not keep track of the time. At some point, she heard a knock at the door, stirring her from her slumber. However, she did not rise to answer.

"Sayori? Are you in there?" Came the unmistakable voice of MC.

She didn't answer.

The door creaked open.

"Sayori?"

She still didn't answer. She opened an eye, however, and watched as MC slowly stepped over to her. He sat down next to her on the bed.

"Wakey-wakey, Sayori," he cooed, but there was a raspy desperation in his voice. Sayori noticed that he was sweating profusely, even now. It seemed as though he was just a little out of breath. Was he truly worried about her?

Sayori rose, but made no effort to smile. She had to trust him. She had already confessed everything to him yesterday, including her own feelings for him. She had nothing more to lose.

"No," she whimpered. "I'm not."

MC wrapped her in a warm hug. Sayori felt his heartbeat, felt his hands shake ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry," MC whispered, and Sayori realized that even his voice was teetering. "I should've been here sooner. I overslept, and panicked. Once I saw that you weren't-," he swallowed. "Weren't at the festival, I got really worried."

"I'm not worth worrying about," Sayori assured. "Y-you shouldn't have come. A-all I do is make you take care of me."

MC held her tighter, cradling her in his arms as he did so. "And you take care of me. I love you so much."

Sayori began to tear up. The words that should have brought her comfort only stung her harder. She wasn't worth the energy, not even a little bit.

"M-MC?"

He stroked her hair. "Yes, Sayori?"

She let the tears fall. She clung to him like a teddy bear and began to cry. "I-I'm scared. The r-rainclouds w-won't go away! T-they just keep g-getting s-scarier!"

"Sayori, it's OK. We'll get through this together, I promise I'll never leave you. If a storm's coming, then I'll be an umbrella. I promise."

Would he? The doubt festered.

She had to tell him the truth.

"I-I was going to-" Sayori began, but then she began to cry uncontrollably. All she could do was point at the rope that lied on the floor. MC turned to it, and despite his own density, it didn't take long for him to connect the dots.

A cold sweat ran its way through MC's body, but despite the horrifying implication this revelation had, he thought it best not to bring it up for the moment.

"Sayori," he whispered.

"I'm s-s-s-so sorry!" Sayori wailed. "I f-f-f-feel so weak!"

"Sayori, look at me," MC commanded gently as he pulled back.

Sayori averted his gaze.

MC delicately grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him. "Sayori, please look at me."

She complied, though her vision was still blurred by tears.

MC smiled. "You're going to get through this," he informed her. "I'm going to be with her every step of the way. You're loved, not just by me, but by your family, and all your friends. We love you. You're stronger than you can possibly imagine.

Sayori sniffled. "D-did you tell them? A-about my depression?"

MC shook his head. "N-no. Do you want them to know?"

Sayori was silent for a brief period, but she eventually nodded. "Yeah," she whimpered. "I-I need help. T-tomorrow. I. . . Don't want to ruin the festival today."

MC leaned in and pecked her on the forehead. "You're more valuable than any festival. Do you mind if I stay with you?"

Sayori glanced up at him. He offered her a gentle smile that radiated genuine warmth, genuine safety. "I'm not going to ruin your day, right?"

"Right."

"Then, y-yes."

And so, MC stayed with her the whole day and even through that whole night. It was to be a long process, and a lot of help was ultimately needed, but that was the day that the rainclouds first began to fade away. Soon enough, the sun once again came out to play.

* * *

 **4 months later. . .**

"Snowball fight!" Sayori shouted as she tossed her icy weapon right at MC's face. It connected right between the eyes, and though MC reeled back from the impact, he ultimately grinned.

"H-hey, no fair!" MC laughed. "I wasn't ready!"

Sayori blew a raspberry. "All's fair in love and war-WOAH!"

MC tackled her into a pile of snow, and the pair tumbled onto one another. They only laughed.

"And I guess this is love," MC cooed.

"Yeah," Sayori smiled, a true, genuine smile. "And it's a beautiful thing. Everything is so beautiful."

And she meant it this time.

MC leaned forward until their lips met, and they shared a passionate kiss warm enough to melt the snow around them.

"MC?" Sayori inquired once their lips parted.

He smiled at her. "Yeah?"

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for helping me fight the rainclouds. Thank you for showing me how much you cared. These past few weeks have been wonderful."

"You're the one that chose to trust me," MC reminded,

They rose together, hand in hand, and continued their short walk home from school. Christmas was rapidly approaching, and the holiday spirit infected the neighborhood like the best pandemic ever.

"Hey, wanna come by my house for some hot chocolate?" she inquired with the sweetest of grins. "I've gotten better since last year, I promise."

"Of course," MC hummed. "I just hope it's half as sweet as your are."

Sayori giggled, blushing ever so slightly. MC knew that it wasn't from the cold. At that moment, the clouds opened up, and the sun beamed down on the whole world around them. Sayori's peach-colored hair and sapphire eyes sparkled in the winter sunlight. For the first time in a long time, Sayori was once again the happy little girl that MC had met all those years ago.

They stayed together for the rest of their long lives, as friends and lovers. Most of the time, their lives were marked with extraordinary happiness. There would be times, very brief times, when the rainclouds would block out Sayori's sun once again. However, she would never again fight them alone, and her friends and family always tried to be the wind that blew the clouds away.

 _The End_


End file.
